Beat the Bulge

Holidays mean festivities, old rituals, and new experiences. Restraints are slackened and indulgences indulged. Rules are not meant to be broken, but they are meant to be stretched. Holidays mean rule stretching.

Just as holidays strain budgets, they strain other self-disciplines such as diets. At any one time tens of millions of us are on diets. Every dieter has a pang of guilt on Thanksgiving and Christmas when Grandpa or a grandchild urges another serving.

It is at just this moment of guilt that I mobilize the scientific concept of the "set point." Our caloric intake is under a stern regulation in the brain, complete with all sorts of checks and balances. Overeating once or twice does not disturb the set point. The extra calories of a holiday meal aren't a big deal when considered over a period of time. The danger lies in allowing the extra pleasure of the second piece of pecan pie to become the new eating pattern. This is what you must guard against--resetting the set point.

For myself, a brisk walk or jog on a holiday morning goes a long way to justify the taste delights of later in the day.

Be sure to visit Dr. Bortz On Call for other words of medical wisdom and advice.

More on holiday eating

Problems Beyond the Holidays: food-related disorders

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